Full meeting transcript - July 11, 2023

» Good evening, Kershaw County citizens here in person and online. This is the regularly scheduled meeting for July 11th, 2023. I am really glad to be back. And before I get started, I just want to thank everyone who called, text, or sent emails in support of our family. Thank you very much. And to my colleagues who were very supportive. All right. First, we'll start with the invocation. It will be delivered by Councilman Sammy Tucker, Jr. Yes. Would you please stand, please? Let us all bow our heads and open our hearts. God, we come to you this day as humbly as we know how, thanking you for the many blessings that you've restored upon us throughout our lives. We ask that you continue to cover us and bless us. We thank you for our Chairwoman, Ms.

» Katie Gwynn, welcome back to continue to lead us. We thank you for all the citizens that are online and that are here in person and that are here in Kershaw County, that they allow us to represent them in the best way possible. We ask now that you bless our hearts and our minds as we deliberate and discuss the business of Kershaw County. And let us be able to disagree, but never to disrespect one another or the citizens. Lord, give us travel and mercy to our various destinations as we depart this place, but never your presence. And bless our men and women who give us these liberties that we're able to do this work. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

» We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. You're welcome, Madam Chair. Great. Adoption of tonight's agenda. Is there a motion regarding this agenda? Madam Chair, I make a motion. We adopt the agenda as presented. Okay. Mr. Tucker makes a motion. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Cato, any discussion on tonight's agenda? Madam Chair, if I may. Yes, sir. Mr. Jones. I would like to make a motion to add a personnel matter and the motion to add a personnel matter under executive session. And I would like the county administrator, the deputy county administrator, the entire county council, and the county attorney to attend. Okay.

» Motion to amend tonight's agenda. Second. Madam Chair. Okay. I'm sorry. Second. Question? Yes, sir. Where were we placing this at, Vice Chair? Well, I need you to be there. I need you in the meeting. But bottom line is I'd like to have it at the end of the meeting so these folks aren't held up. Can we do it right before council briefings? Yes. That'll be good. That'll work on your time. Yes, sir. Thank you. And this is just circumstances. Okay. Thank you. Motion to amend the motion to adopt the agenda. Second by Mr. Tomlinson. Second. Okay. All those in favor, or any other discussion or questions? All those in favor of the motion to amend the motion to adopt the agenda, indicate by raising your hand. The vote is unanimous. That amendment passes.

» And to the motion to adopt the agenda as amended. All those in favor? And the vote is unanimous. If I may add, Madam Chair, on this issue that I amended, this information just came to me late yesterday and this morning. Okay. Thank you. But it needs to be dealt with. Okay. So after number 10 of new business, we'll add executive session. Yes, ma'am. All right. Moving on to public comments. Mr. DuBose, do you mind handing me the public comment sign up, please? Thank you. All right. The public comment guidelines are on the screen. And we will start. There's seven. Thank you. And we will start with Mr. Tim McCormick. Chair, council. Just wanted to answer some questions about the rezoning on Ridgeway Road from last meeting.

» The, uh, there was comments made that if you rezone this commercial and Dollar General backs out, then it can be anything. But I have a copy, fully executed lease from Dollar General, a term of 40 years. That's 15 years guaranteed and five five-year options. There was also a question from a councilman that, why are you rezoning the whole six acres? That was a recommendation from the planning department, and I think that's pretty standard. But we don't need six acres. To build this store, we need two acres. That's it. Um, there was also comments that people don't mind hopping in their car and driving eight miles to get something. But those people live on big tracks of land. They drive fancy cars, and they can afford it. And that's not our target.

» Our target is the fixed income, retirees that are living on Social Security, because they need these services. And I also think that, uh, Councilman Tucker hit the nail on the head, because we've been through this in this county before, when he said people against the rezone will most likely shop there. And I yield the rest of my time for any questions from the developer's point of view. Thank you, Mr. McCormick. So, public comments, we don't have a dialogue back and forth. Sure. We just receive input, so if you're done, no problem. Very good. And I'm more than willing to give you a copy of the lease. Oh, okay. Thank you. Would anyone like a copy of the lease on County Council? Okay. So, you can hand it to Danny or Hannah. They'll make a copy for us. All right.

» The next speaker is Chris Renfro. Hi, Chris. How are you? Great. Thank y'all. Pleasure to be here. Just wanted to make a comment about New Business 335. I'm all for it. It would be very helpful in this situation. I'm glad we're taking the opportunity to look at it. We have a lot of other counties surrounding us that do have different occupancy limits and terms. So, for our business and our community, it would be great because it would bring more income for different amenities like Glow Dragon, the new coffee shops, stuff like that. So, looking very forward to working on this. And thank y'all. Thank you. The next speaker is Carl Branham. Hi, Carl. Hey. How you doing? Jimmy, I want to clear up something. I told you last time I live 300 miles from the place. I want to go back.

» You also called me. I want to go back. Carl, you also called me, Your Honor. It's good to see you, Carl. Good to see you. Good to see you, too, Eddie. What I'm here for, I'm here for the people that's on a fixed income. And if you know you can save something else, then you will save it by the dollar general. And I know me and my brother live right at it. And it would be a lot of help to us for gas and the merchandise in the store. So, that's about all I got to say. Welcome back. Thank you, sir. All right. The next speaker is Janice Mesa. My name is Janice Mesa, and I live at 37 Indian Mound Road, Ridgeway, 200 yards from the proposed dollar general site located at 2689 Ridgeway Road. And I support the dollar general being built at this area.

» I understand that there is great concern among some people of the society community regarding a proposed dollar general, concerns of more traffic, crime, litter, and noise. I realize that several families have moved to this community in the last several years for the peace and quiet of rural country living. I can certainly understand that. I love the rural country life myself. I was born and raised in Kershaw County in this community off of Highway 34. When I started school in the mid-1960s, this area was rural country. While waiting on the school bus at the end of our dirt road going to 34 Highway, maybe zero to two cars would pass before the school bus came. I recall as a teenager walking from my home after dark down 34 Highway to Mr. George Ravens Country Store at Ravens Crossroads.

» And maybe I might would pass two cars if that. But this is no longer the case. This is not the rural country that I grew up in. Now there are between 40 to 50 logging trucks that come down, actually barreling down 34 Highway, along with 40-plus semis, along with utility trucks, cars, pickups, motorcycles, Carolina squats, and what have you. The majority of this traffic is due to traffic coming off of I-77 out of Fairfield County onto 34, which is a shortcut to I-20 and Lugolf, and also the same with traffic coming from Lugolf off I-20 getting on to I-77 in Fairfield County. As anyone can imagine, this traffic also creates a lot of noise. Therefore, if a Dollar General is built, I feel it will no more create traffic than is already being created.

» And with the building growth that is going on in the west watery part of Kershaw County and down 34 Highway, the traffic and noise will continue to grow for years to come. I'm aware, along with the building growth, whether it's a business or homes, crime follows. It's the world we live in now. Already, drug activity in this community has increased dramatically in the last 15 years, along with people having property stolen out of their yards. At the present time, more police presence is needed in the community. And I believe if a Dollar General is built, this would automatically ramp up the police presence in our community, as we definitely need more police patrol in this area.

» As far as trash being generated, ever since the building growth and the large volume of traffic up and down 34, litter has increased on the roadside. I do not see, if a Dollar General is built, that the trash problem will become any worse. If there is trash to be contained, as it should be, at a Dollar General, if it's built, then the proper authority should be notified. This would include the Dollar General Corporate Office and Kershaw County Code Enforcement. Having a Dollar General will be a huge convenience for everyone in the Salt Pond community, especially the elderly, young families, and those on fixed incomes. I know my uncle, Carl, and my father, Mitchell, who has cancer now, would greatly benefit from this.

» Why would anyone want to drive a round trip of 18 to 20 miles to Elgin or Lugov when a Dollar General, being so close and convenient, would save time and gas? This community has been growing for years now, and it is not slowing down. It will continue to grow for years to come, and therefore, I support a Dollar General for this community. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Right, the next speaker is Marshall Branham. Hey, Marshall. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and Mr. Vice Chair, County Council members. My name is Marshall Branham. My brother and I own the property located at 2689 Reachway Road. I sent each of you a letter last week detailing a number of facts about the DG market that is proposed for the property that my brother and I own.

» I also addressed some ridiculous speculations, mistruths, and misunderstandings that a few opponents had previously stated. Hopefully, my letter to you has brought clarity around issues made by the opponents. So, I will not rehash all of those points. Perhaps what I have to say tonight will ease some concerns for some of the opponents of the DG market. One concern for some opponents is that they will lose the value in their investment if a Dollar General is close to their neighborhood. My wife and I bought our home. When we bought our home, there were no grocery stores nearby or other shopping areas that were convenient to our home. When that changed, my home value significantly increased. Real estate investment guides discusses the importance of where your home is located.

» An example of this reads, Smart home buyers might want to consider where they will do their grocery shopping when they're shopping for a home. It turns out that being located near a grocery store isn't only a matter of convenience for homeowners, but can have a significant impact on equity and home values as well. End quote. But the main concern seemed to be that any commercial property could be built if Dollar General backed out. Dollar General Corporate Headquarters, as Tim has already stated, has already signed a contract to build on the specific location or a lease of 2689 Ridgeway Road. Also, the buyer and seller, my brother and I, has signed a contract for that specific purpose.

» If either buyer or seller backs out of the contract, there are steep financial penalties on the party backing out. This is put in the contract to strengthen the commitment of both parties. So, there will be no backing out. As I stated last County Council meeting, my brother and I own the property at 2689 Ridgeway Road for 33 years. We have never developed any of that land for any purpose or ever considered selling any of it until we were approached to have a Dollar General built. Due to the property being undeveloped and the remoteness of the wooded area, it has been used by people to dump their household trash. That upsets me. A lot of the trash that was included were approximately 500 beer cans and liquor bottles.

» Most of these were in an area that appears people have been gathering there for drinking parties. I have personally removed all of these. Having a DG market located here will eliminate the unwanted and illegal use of our property. But this is really about the community living in that area. Only County Council members and the residents living in the community should be the ones having a say for the community. However, it is said that a couple of opponents living in the community have attempted to include voices of non-residents. Having a DG market that is tailored to meet the needs of the community is once in a lifetime opportunity for those residents. So I'm asking that you allow my brother and me to use our property for the overall good of the community.

» Your vote to rezone this property to B2 can make this dream a reality for an overwhelming majority of the community. And you do have in hand, from the previous meeting, over 100 signatures that support this. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. The next speaker is Irving Branham. Welcome back, Madam Chair. Thank you. Madam Chair, Vice Chair, members of Council. My name is Irving Branham. I live at 324 Rapid Run, Camden, South Carolina. As my brother stated, he and I are on the property at 2689 Ridgeway Road for the last 33 years. It's been in the family for the last 125 years. My brother and I believe that you should be good stewards with what God has blessed you with. That is why I have never had any reason to do anything with this property until I was contacted by Dollar General.

» One of the opponents said in the last meeting that no one ever came to their house when we were getting the petition signed. She was correct. The two opponents that were here last meeting lived back up in a wooded area far enough back that we didn't see a house. That's why we didn't go. The community here has been in need of a grocery store in that area for many years. We are here for the best interests of the Salt Pond community, and especially those that aren't fixed or retired incomes. They need this DG Market, which is a full-line grocery store where a community can go buy a gallon of milk for what they pay for half a gallon at the local convenience store.

» We are not here spreading false or misleading statements that some of the opponents are doing or messaging everyone on Facebook or trying to get folks not even in the area stirred up and being rude to them if they don't support their position. All we are asking is that you allow us to do what we want to do with our property so that we can be a good neighbor to the community. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. All right. We had one public comment that came via email, and I will read it. This comment is from Jeff Maddox. As many of you are aware, I have been at this podium many times over the years. Mr. Tucker, you know, too. Mr. Jones, you know. You have both seen me, heard me, even moved at one point to limit my voice passing and may now refer to as the Jeffy rule.

» What is the Jeffy rule? The Jeffy rule is the fact that there are time limits on public comments as well as time limit during the public hearing. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I am the reason the people's voice continues to be limited in county council. Why, you might ask. Why silence the people? I can think of several reasons. Time is one. Time is valuable. I mean, really, who wants to sit around and listen to people explain their opinion and voice their concerns about whatever issue that is before council at any given time when you have already decided the outcome and will not change your mind? I can see where that might be considered a waste of time. Can't you? I can think of another reason to limit the time the people voice their concerns.

» You see, it takes time to develop and present a clear step-by-step reasoning to expand an argument for the position and express opinion for or against an issue in question. By limiting the amount of time to present an argument, it makes the argument trivial so it can be buried, silenced, and forgotten. This is censorship. For whatever reason, one might use to justify a time limit on the voice of the people addressing the government is a form of censorship. There is no debate on issues that save the tacit back and forth between council members during a short discussion period just before a vote. That's it. That's it. There is no real debate.

» The public can, for five minutes in public comments and ten minutes in a public hearing, ask questions on the topic at hand, but council does not respond. Council does not answer questions in a public form. Council, in fact, has a written rule against this sort of interaction in their rules for public comments. This is not a time for debate with or questions and answers with council, and in short, public comment time is a time for council to listen, all caps, to public comments, not to comment, all caps again, on public comments. Most people do not know their voices are indeed limited. How can that be, you might ask? The reason is simple. You see, most people censor themselves. Most people never, ever step up and tell their truth.

» They are afraid to rock the boat, so they just remain silent and go along. Evidence of this can be found by looking at the last three years and the defending silence of the people against lockdowns, masks, social distancing, and experimental injections mandated and or recommended by authorities who cannot be questioned. Government at every level from D.C. all the way down to our local government has silenced debate, gagged the voice of the people, and destroyed individual rights every step along the way. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how freedom dies. Freedom dies when speech is limited and debate stifled. Freedom dies without debate. We hear politicians claim to be open and transparent all the time, but those are idle words with no actions.

» I challenge Kershaw County Council to take concrete action to encourage debate. Self-government requires free, vigorous, and open debate. If any idea is sound, it would welcome all challenges to it. Those who will not debate their positions are admitting they cannot defend them. Debate is much like fire used to strengthen steel. Though repeated hanging steel is tempered. The same is true with ideas and opinions that through vigorous debate, the idea is tested to see if it is strong enough to survive repeated challenges. It is through this debate that the bad is consumed and the good rises from fire tested, tempered and ready to be challenged. And you all will have a copy of this. Hannah will give you a copy of it.

» Was that number seven? Number, well, it's number eight because the first person crossed off. So that was number seven. Thank you. And that ends public comments. All right, moving on to public presentations. Right, we have a presentation tonight from Mr. Greg Ooten on Operation Picnic Table. This was placed on the agenda by Councilman Jones. Thank you for joining us on this agenda so quickly. Glad to have you here. I would love for y'all to see what we're trying to present to you. And I think it's a no-brainer for our community and our veterans. If you drive by our veterans park by the river, it's looking a little bare and a little desolate. We got a walking trail. I love our flags up there up on the hill. You look across the field, you really don't see much.

» So we would like to replace a few dilapidated picnic tables across the park, but not one picnic table or a place to sit to take a break on the walking trail. So as I will tell you, I'm a retired Master Sergeant, Greg Ooten. I was born and bred here in Kershaw in Abney's dirt, and now I roll in Cassett's dirt. But the number one part, and I'm part of the KCGOP Community Outreach Committee, and that's why I come to you, just asking for your approval. The number one purpose of this approval will not take one dime out of the Kershaw County citizens' pocket. And you heard me, not one dime. This will be a donation project, private and corporate, for community beautification and to honor all our veterans.

» Our short-term goals, as you can see in the picture, sorry for my crappy drawing, but we would like to present this on November 11th on Veterans Day. We have a, this may be a two-phase process. We've got fundraisers for veterans' bricks, past and present, to honor and memory of, in honor of, or in memory of. If you're a veteran that honorably served, then you qualify for a brick. And we ask people to use the integrity system upon that. The American flag will be elevated with a granite stool with a bench around it, and it will be raised three to four feet with four LED cam lights, so we're not using too much power.

» But we do request to pull water and power underneath that flag pole, which will be under lock and key, and we would like that controlled by Parks and Recreation Department, if they, they can use it how they may. We want to raise the money to refurbish wood and picnic tables to raise enough for industrial-grade picnic tables that can be bolted to each structure that you see on that one. I know, I do understand we do have six branches of the military, but as of right now, the Space Force is a department under the Air Force. So we, cost-effectiveness, five structures, we will put the Air Force and the Space Force together, and all other four branches will have their own structure.

» And each structure will have each branch of the military seal inlaid into concrete with a clear resin over it to protect it from being chipping and broken and all that. So, we met with Parks and Rec last week, and I think we have their unanimous support. The request and constructive criticism was greatly appreciated. And upon their request, we at the KCGOP will be reaching out to the Democratic Party in aid of this project. And multiple VFWs and American Legions are on board already with us. This is not politics. This is for the veterans and our community. We will also add memorial benches around the structures of a trail so our visitors will have a place to rest and enjoy the day.

» Also, the interest proposed will be level to the trailway so that handicapped personnel can easily access the memorial. It's a three to four inch raise on the concrete trail. Kind of tough for a wheelchair to get out there. So, this will alleviate that problem. And there will be no tripping hazards for any of our personnel using the rec department. We promised Parks and Rec that our contractor will be insured because they iterated that we do need to be insured while this project is happening. And we totally agree. And we will do it in that way. We'll be reaching out to the community for volunteers. We'll be using our Boy Scouts, our Girl Scouts, high school students that are looking for hours, ROTCs from all county schools, and the list goes on. We want this to be a Kershaw County event.

» We're proud of this town. I think we should show it. Our long-term goals, maybe at the top of each structure, if you go to the next slide, the little triangle at the beginning of each structure, we would possibly even reach out to somebody such as a Colt Shirley or any local artist in the area that could do a mural for each branch of military, something very significant to that branch, whether it's a past-present, the Marines launching the flag up at Sands of Iwo Jima, whatever we want to do. The options are limitless. But we would like to continue the selling of bricks past this project on the ribbon-cutting. We would like to continue to add bricks.

» So we would like to put our information out there, our point of contact, where we can actually, if you look at the walkways, we would like to have granite down the sides and the bricks put in with slag, so we can actually take out blank bricks and replace honored bricks. We do know it is a slightly waterlogged area, but we think the granite will hold all the bricks in in case something such of that nature happens. A possible five-year addition to, a five-year plan addition to this Parks and Rec is a playground for the children. You know, a rendition of each branch may be incorporated. You know, we could throw out ideas like, you know, tanks with slides or airplanes with themed jungle gems or something.

» You know, it doesn't have to be branch-oriented or whatever, but we would like to see the military represented, and we want our kids to have fun on that. We understand this approval has to go through three readings. We understand that. And we have most of our fundraiser events lined up and ready to request local sponsors for this memorial. I believe it's a win-win with y'all's approval, Parks and Rec's approval, and our community approval. Parks and Rec will maintain the key, and if they want to rent this place out for events, for revenue, to pay for the lights, to pay for the water, that's on them. We're fine with that. We did tell them that the Republican Party will be in charge of maintaining. After a while, you know, bricks get a little corroded.

» We'd like to go out there with that water and power hookup, and we can pressure Washington bricks, keep the place looking nice and representable. So that would be on the Parks and Rec if they would like to rent it out. We have no quorums with that whatsoever. We could even have a place, you know, just to sit down and eat lunch. Or we can even sit down and maybe on the 4th of July have a fireworks show because we ain't in the city. Who knows? Maybe do something for our town. The possibilities are endless, and we kind of request the council's permission to accomplish this task in our community and for our veterans, and I thank you all for your time. If I may. Thank you, Ms. Druton. Yes, go ahead. Thank you, Madam Druton. Hey, Ms. Druton, thank you so much.

» I was told by some rec members that this was really a great idea. They liked it because I haven't talked to all of them, and they asked me how quick we could get on the agenda, and I appreciate you being here, and thank you for your service, and thank you for bringing this before us. Mr. Attorney, how would we get started on this? There are several aspects of this that have to be worked out. Presenters, obviously, Mr. Ootin's already mentioned insurance issues, but as far as y'all's approvals, I think it would require some sort of license entry, some approval of the project itself. Again, I've taken some notes. I'll kind of work through the issue.

» What I would like is for the county administrator to get with you, work out the details, and bring it back before this county council so we can vote on it. Awesome. I don't want to – these folks have put a lot of time and a lot of effort in this, because I realize we have to go by the laws and go by the rules. But I don't want to get bogged down in bureaucracy. I want to make sure we're moving forward with it, and it's either up or down how we feel up here. But I'm all in. Awesome. And I thank you. And we are all in to give every little hand, help we can, and better this community. Yes, sir. Ms. Templer and Mr. DeVose, y'all got it right. I can hear something within two weeks, please. Yes, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Gregg, thank you for your time and definitely your service. Yes, sir.

» I appreciate, because those are the couple questions that I did write down, that you're reaching out to the American legions in the county and also the Democratic Party. And I'm going to say, as a single member of the Democratic Party up here, if you have any issues with contacting someone or not getting a return call, please let me know, because I think this is a very, very important project that we can do together and keep Washington, D.C. out of Kershaw County. And you were the one I was coming to, no doubt. Oh, I spoke too fast. No problem. Happy to help. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you for all your time. Just a second. Mr. Shoemaker. What do you envision needing to raise to hit your goal? Nothing. We are going to be doing corporate and local sponsors for hopefully.

» No, no, I was asking, what do you think it's going to cost? I'm just trying to get an idea. I would say low end with, you know, donations and what have you by contractors. We were looking at a low end of $25,000, but we want to go up to the means of $45,000. I think it's a great idea. Do you have any ideas as to what you would sell the bricks? Yes, sir. We do. We've already come up with the forms and everything sitting on go waiting for the approval, but we will be selling the bricks for $50 a piece. And like I said, it's past or present veterans. If you have somebody in your family that passed World War II, World War I, please put them out there. We honor all our veterans. Thank you. Thank you. I think it's a great, great idea. It's cheap for a brick. My church charged $100.

» You know, we got other ways. We're going to raise more money and we're going to make it awesome. Anyone else? Okay. All my questions are for legal, so when you two get together and kind of work out the kinks, I look forward to hearing that, too. So thank you, Mr. Uton. Thank you. Welcome. We should have something in two weeks. Okay. Approval of County Council meeting minutes, the regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 27th, 2023. Is there a motion regarding the minutes of that meeting? Madam Chair, I make a motion that we approve the minutes from last meeting. And I want to thank Ms. Hannah. Okay. Mr. Tucker makes the motion to approve. Is there a second? I'll second. Mr. Shoemake seconds. Any discussion, updates, corrections? Okay.

» All those in favor of approving the Tuesday, June 27th meeting minutes, indicate by raising your hand. Mr. Cato, Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Jones, Mr. Shoemake, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Brazel. And I'm not opposed, Hannah, but I'm abstaining for absence. Okay. Those meeting minutes are approved. Up to ordinances. Our first ordinance tonight is a second reading of an ordinance to amend the official zoning map of Kershaw County to rezone approximately 2.5 acres of property TMS 299-000060, owned by Terry Coleman and located on the south side of Tickle Hill Road, approximately a quarter mile north of Black River Road, Camden, South Carolina, from our 15 low-density residential district to GD General Development. Madam Chair, if I may.

» I would like to recuse myself, please, ma'am, from this discussion and vote. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Tucker is recusing himself, and he will also be leaving the meeting. Hannah. All right. Is there a motion on the table for the second reading of this rezoning? I'll make a motion for second reading. Okay. What's your motion? Make a motion to approve the... Okay. Mr. Tomlinson makes a motion to approve this rezoning. Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. Mr. Cato seconds. And any discussion? Talk to Mr. Coleman earlier. I'm sorry, Mr. Brazel, please. No, I was just going to say we could rehash the situation just to make sure everybody was kind of up to speed, but it sounds like you've talked to the gentleman. It's an established business. It's been there for 30-plus years.

» Sounds like it's grandfathered in, and nothing's going to change, so I have no issue. Okay. Yep, that's what I was going to say. I just talked to him just to get the background information, but no, we don't need to rehash it because you guys probably did on first reading. All right. Let's go to a vote, then. All in favor of rezoning the property TMS 299-000060 from R15 to general development, indicate by raising your hand. Mr. Cato, Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Jones, myself, Mr. Shoemaker, and Mr. Brazel, and again, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Tucker recused himself, sorry. The next is another rezoning. We'll wait for Mr. Tucker to get back. Okay.

» The second ordinance tonight is an ordinance to amend the official zoning map of Kershaw County to rezone approximately 6.3 acres of property TMS 264-00-00-009, owned by Irving Branham and Marshall Branham and located on the south side of Ridgway Road, approximately one quarter mile west of Smyrna Road, Ridgway, South Carolina, from RD2 Rural Resource District to B2 General Business District. Is there a motion regarding this ordinance at this time? Madam Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we're approved second reading. Okay. Mr. Tucker makes the motion to approve. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Tomlinson second, and discussion. If I may, Madam Chair. Yes, Mr. Tucker.

» I just want to state that I know this is a controversy topic and that everybody doesn't agree, but as I continue to look in and do my due diligence, I have more pros than I do cons, and that means something to me because we are elected to represent the masses in the best decisions that we possibly can make. And I've gone through this, as one of the gentlemen, Brandon Brothers, have said before, and I think it turned out pretty good for the masses of the people up off of Highway 5. I have faith that Dollar General will develop the land. I have not, in my research, found what they have reneged. I have not found that. And so that gives me the assurance I need to say that I don't think this will be their first time on reneging. So I still need to make my way up there.

» I haven't done that yet, but I have just sent information to our planning and zoning director that we will ride up next week if he's available. And my support tonight will be to rezone this property. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Shoemake. Yeah, so for the first reading, I was a no vote. The issues that I said then was that we have had some people complain and planning and zoning recommended that we not do this. I do want to say I've had several folks reach out to me that aren't in favor, but what I've responded to all those folks is to please come, voice your concerns. I have not heard anyone today do that. And so I'll vote to move it along tonight.

» But understanding that I'm still uncommitted, I want to hear what those in opposition have to say and give them time to come at the public hearing next time and, you know, put this in. But tonight I'm going to move it forward because, again, I didn't hear anything to the contrary. So, but again, I am still very much in the middle on this. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Okay, any other comments? If I may. Yes, Mr. Braswell. So this is not too far from my house. So I received an email asking if I would go look at the property to see if it changed the way I felt. And so I did. I went today just before the meeting. And I'll say this. The property is a little bit narrow and it does have two homes on either side of it. But if I could ask Mr.

» McCormick to provide us with some sort of a diagram of fencing that could potentially be used, is that reasonable? I'm seeing you nod your head. You don't have to respond. But okay. I think that would ease my hesitancy. Initially, I had no issue with it. But ultimately, I think if it wasn't this property, it would be one within eyeshot of the homes that are being affected in a negative manner. So I think it would happen regardless of whether we vote to approve or disapprove this parcel. So for that reason, I have no issue. But I would like to see some sort of fencing for the neighbors on the left and right-hand sides of the property. Thank you, Mr. Braswell. Thank you.

» And Madam Chair, if I could just piggyback on what Councilman Braswell, that's why it's so important to go out and just look at the land versus just the maps. And I'll appreciate you doing that before coming here because that's what I have not seen. And who is this going to affect the most and the greatest by being so close to this development? And then what can we do to make sure that they are protected to the fullest without interrupting the way they live their lives? That's always important. You know, I am a landowner of several parcels here in Gershaw County as well. And I think people, as long as they're within the guidelines, the law, and the rules, should be able to sell, buy, or use their property within those guidelines.

» And so for those reasons, once again, I'm supporting the rezoning tonight. Great. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Any other comments? Yes. Just for the record, I'm not in the middle of the road on this. I'm going to be voting for it, and I will be voting for it on third reading. I've been through this before with Dollar Generals. They have always lived up to everything they say they're going to do. They build their stores to fit the community that it's in. If I'm not correct on that, tell me. They go above and beyond. And I believe in my heart, as I did when I voted for the one on Watery Dam Road, we had opposition on that, but we had more people for it. The same thing I'm hearing here. I've gotten six to one phone calls supporting this. I don't live there.

» I don't have to drive a round trip of 20 miles to get something, but I can only imagine, you know, some folks wanting something convenient there. And if I'm not mistaken, this DG is also looking at doing a meat market, produce market. So they're not going to ever get a Harris Teeter or a food line up there. This is going to be pretty nice, I think, for the community and for all you folks out there. I know just about every one of you out there. And my vote's going to be yes tonight, and it's going to be yes on third reading. So you can call me. You're not going to change my mind. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jones. And so I was forwarded a copy of the petition with the residents that signed it.

» Looking through the packet that was given to council and the Planning and Zoning Commission's report, the staff report, the only thing I really see negative is that it could negatively impact the adjoining residential uses, but no specifics on how it could negatively impact them. I'm in agreeance with some of my colleagues that the benefit does outweigh any harm in this situation. We can use Liberty Hill as an example, the Dollar General that was placed on Highway 97. So I'll be supporting the rezoning as well. Any other comments? Just a quick follow-up here. You know, we talk about buffers, fences. I can assure you there's enough bureaucracy in Kershaw County. There's going to be buffers. There are going to be fences. You know, people's privacy is going to be respected.

» There's no doubt in my mind on that. So anyway, I just thought I'd say that for the record. All right. All those in favor of rezoning, property 264-00-00-009 from RD2 to B2, indicate by raising your hand. And the vote is unanimous. Pass the second reading. We'll go on to third reading. The next ordinance, another rezoning. This is the second reading of an ordinance to amend the official zoning map of Kershaw County to rezone approximately 46 acres of property, TMS 063-00-00-104, 113, 114, 115, 116, and 177, owned by James F. Kelly IV and located on the east side of Kershaw Highway, just north of the Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, South Carolina, from RD2, Rural Resource District to GD, General Development District.

» Is there a motion at this time regarding this ordinance? Madam Chair, I make a motion. We'll go forward with the second reading of this. Okay. Mr. Cato makes a motion to approve. Second, Madam Chair. And second by Mr. Tucker. Discussion. Madam Chair. Yes, Mr. Cato. I just want to say that I think this is very important for that area of the county. The Motorsports Park has really done some good things up in that area. And if you ever go by that park, you'll see how they take care of their place. And I really appreciate that. And it provides a lot of revenue for Kershaw County. And I think this would be a great project. Thank you. Any other comments? Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you. I don't see the owner, but I see his right hand, maybe his left hand, and his left foot, Mr.

» Ed Corley, out there this evening. And I have to agree with Mr. Cato. They've been good stewards of everything up there. They've been good business folks making good decisions, growing the park, growing the community. And the thing that I didn't mention last time, that this track sits right at the county line almost. But they do just as much community service in the town of Kershaw, which is in Lancaster County, as they do here in Kershaw County. And Lancaster County Sheriff's Department use that as their training track just as Kershaw County Sheriff's Department and many other people. So I see the cars when I'm going to and from work, the events that they have out there. And it's been nothing but an A-plus revenue generator, never had any calls or any problems out there.

» And they've been good neighbors to the people that are close by. So for all of those reasons, plus I will be supporting this on second reading. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Anything else? I have talked with Mr. Cummings, and this is adjoining some property they already have. So it certainly makes sense for everything they have going on up there. I haven't heard of any opposition to the rezoning, and so I'll be supporting it as well. With that, all those in favor of the rezoning of TMS 063, 0000, 104, 113, 114, 115, 116, and 177, from RD2 to GD, indicate by raising your hand. And the vote is unanimous. Okay, that's, we're done with ordinances. Going to resolutions. First resolution is for Project Creed. All right.

» Project Creed, identifying a project to satisfy the requirements of Title XII, Chapter 44 of the South Carolina Code, as to allow an investment expenditures incurred by a company known to the county as Project Creed, its affiliates and related entities to qualify as expenditures eligible for fee-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangement with Kershaw County, South Carolina, providing for other related economic development incentives, including special-sourced revenue credits and other matters related there, too. Is there a motion at this time for this resolution? Madam Chair, I make a motion that we approve the resolution for Project Creed. Okay, Mr. Tucker makes resolution to approve. I'll second the motion. And Mr. Tomlinson second. Mr. Tucker, you have the floor.

» I just want to say thank you, first and foremost, to our director over economic development. I think Mr. Jeff Burgess can't see him back there. He's, okay. Okay. I was looking for the shiny spot, like my head. But thank you for all that you and your department and team does for bringing us good projects. I'm real excited about this one because I'm going to steal your term. This will be mailbox money, meaning that it won't be a drag on our sewer, our fire, our trash. It just is clean. So when we can bring these projects in, then that revenue can get spent on other services that we have to provide to our citizens. So, Mr. Burgess, we say thank you to you. Thank you, Madam Chair. You're welcome. Any other comments? Mr. Jones. Mr. Burgess, I need some clarification.

» I know that this is time-sensitive, correct, Mr. Attorney? The resolution, yes, is time-sensitive. It's part of the kind of due diligence background. Because we've been here, done this before with the resolutions. Ms. Burgess, where are we at? How sure are we or what kind of position are we in to get this or not get this? And I don't mean to be ugly, but we really don't ever get many. We do a lot of resolutions, but we really don't. Well, there's several moving parts to this particular one. Thank you, John. It had to do with you. I just want to make that clear. No, sir. No problem. Thank you. I appreciate the question. This is just one piece of the puzzle for this project to start. And this actually starts the ball rolling.

» They will continue to work with doing the PPA, which is the power purchase agreement, which is part of what they've got to do. But they also have to do an interconnectivity study. And that can take anywhere between 12 to 18 months just to do that part. Okay. Thank you. I just want clarification because my colleague said all these great projects we've had before us, but we haven't nailed any of them yet. And listen, I'm all on your side. I know you're working hard, but I want to do more than just a resolution. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Bridges, just correct me if I'm wrong. For layman's terms, we're agreeing to go into a FELO agreement if said company purchases the land and does what they came here to do. Exactly. Okay. So this is going to help them in their planning process.

» This kind of opens the door for them to go ahead and move forward with whatever's dealing with rezoning, et cetera. Madam Chair, you're exactly right. And I know that. However, it was just made to sound like we got a company coming here. And I just want to make sure we have clarification of where we really are. Very optimistic, Mr. Jones. I am. I am, too. Admire you for that. Well, if this helps them come here, then that's great. Agree. Mr. Brazel. Mr. Brazel. Okay. Okay, any other questions, discussion? Okay. All those in favor of approving the resolution, Creed Solar, indicate by raising your hand. And the vote is unanimous. Next resolution, very similar, Project 1802 Solar. Mr. Burgess, can you – oh, is there a motion to approve the second project? Okay, Mr.

» Shoemix makes a motion to approve this resolution. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Brazel, and discussion. Mr. Burgess, I want to delete it off. Can you give us the difference between these two? Just the size. Okay. First one is a 48-megawatt project. This one would be a 150-megawatt. These are different entities? They're representative of the same company. Okay. And are they on different properties? Yes, ma'am. Okay. And the megawatts, that's – they're proposed. That's what they – their research shows that they think they can do once they're up and running. Okay. Would this be the same general area, or is this two different locations in the county? This will be out in the Cassett area. Both. Are the properties next to each other? Not based on the maps, but I don't think that.

» But both in Cassett? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Don't y'all make him talk too much. Okay. Any other discussion? Yes, sir. Mr. Burgess, again, I think you do a good job. I think the holdback has been this county council, not you. We need to make sure you have the resources to get the job done. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. All right. All those in favor of approving the resolution for Project 1802 Solar, indicate by raising your hand. And the vote is unanimous. Okay. Mr. Burgess, please take these resolutions and bring them here. All right. Next is new business. First item on new business is a discussion regarding time limits on occupancy of camps and recreational vehicle parks, ZLDR, Section 3.5. This was placed on the agenda by Councilman Shoemake, and you have the floor.

» Actually, this, technically we have to do a vote. It's not a vote to pass it, but it's a vote to send it to planning and zoning, right? Which is, so, just for background before I make the motion, so you kind of know what I'm talking about. So, Mr. Renfro, who spoke here earlier in the last several months, well, in the last month, has opened up Renfro Ranch, which is an RV park there on Highway 12, just past Dobie's Mill, towards 601. And one of the issues he identified to me last year was that this council, at some point in prior years, passed an ordinance to limit RV parks to a three-month occupancy. The limitation makes sense. A limitation makes sense because you don't, you know, it creates a backdoor way to have mobile home parks.

» However, grandfathered in are some RV parks, like one that is already right on Highway 12 that doesn't have such a limitation. And so what Mr. Renfro and then other RV parks that may come up would like is to extend that, because, for example, if you've got the watery dam that's being worked on, workers come in to work on that dam, they need to stay more than three months. And so balancing the need for people who are coming in for doing these long-term projects to stay, or say if you're building a home, a lot of times that takes more than three months. So balancing that need with the understanding that we can't have people living in perpetuity, what I would like to do is explore a nine-month window.

» And one other issue that planning and zoning brought up to me when I was raising this with them is that one issue they do have on the occupancy is right now the RV parks have no, some keep records, some don't. And so looking at those other counties that have similar time frames, they also have a requirement that the RV park just keep a log, and the code enforcement could look at the log, just so they know as long as someone's been there. So what I would like to do, and this is my motion, I would move that we have planning and zoning, look at an ordinance, and approve a draft ordinance or vote on a draft ordinance to send back to us.

» That would expand the time limit from three to six months, and also look at possibly a record-keeping requirement that would be in keeping with what planning and zoning has asked for. So that would be my motion. Again, not a final decision. We still have to have three readings back on our end. This would just send it to planning and zoning and back to us. If we're successful, we could have this all wrapped up by the end of September. Okay. Mr. Schumann, can you restate your motion? Sure. It is a motion to direct the county administrator to ask planning and zoning to look at the ordinance currently in place, which is 3.35, and look at expanding the three-month limitation to nine months and add a potential record-keeping requirement. Okay. Is there a second on that motion? Second. Okay. Mr.

» Tucker, second. And discussion. Madam Chair. Yes, sir. I'd like to make an amendment to his motion. The amendment is that there be no time restraint on the parks, but they can keep a record system just in case, you know, law enforcement or something like that. But the few that we have are well-maintained, and I don't know how many people live there, but I just have a problem. I voted against this whenever this was passed. I thought this was just nonsense, I thought this was just nonsense, three months. I do like what Mr. Schumann has done. I thank you for bringing it to us. However, this is where I stand on it. I'd like to see a no time restriction on it. Okay. So, Mr. Schumann's motion is to send this to Planning and Zoning to get their recommendation.

» And to send it to Planning and Zoning. Do we want to add a... Okay. Well, perhaps Councilman Jones, something that might address both their issues, because I'd be interested to see what they say about that. What would you say if I could just restate my original motion? I think I need a second for discussion. All right. I'll second. Thank you. Mr. Schumann seconds. So, what I would propose then is maybe I can restate my motion, but I'm fine exploring what Planning and Zoning has to say. So, in other words, because we're not committing to one way or the other, but basically we would ask Planning and Zoning to look at expanding the timeline or removing it altogether. And then when it comes back to us, we can decide. Sure. Okay.

» So, if you withdraw your amendment, I withdraw a motion and restate it. I withdraw my original motion. I would make a... Motion's withdrawn. The second was withdrawn, too, from your original motion? Yeah. Okay. So, I would make a new motion that we direct the County Administrator to ask Planning and Zoning to look at the Section 3-3-5 of the Zoning Code and decide whether it makes sense to expand the three-month limitation in nine months or perhaps remove that limitation altogether in addition to adding a record-keeping requirement. Second. Second. Okay, Mr. Jones. Second. Second. All right. Mr. Shoemake's motion is to direct Mr. Templer to send to the Planning Commission.

» Ask them to look at Section 3-3.5 to expand it to nine or eliminate it, nine months or eliminate it altogether, and to add record-keeping. Madam Chair, if I may. Yes, sir. I'd like to look into this a little bit further in how the occupancy of camps is defined. I've been in a lot of places where homeless camps grow very large and it's a very sad situation, but I want to make sure that this is well-defined and that we don't open a can of worms. If I might. I'm after you. Please. Yep. Well, we better start looking under Watery River Bridge because that's where they're congregating. And also, if you go down here to Kentucky Fried Chicken, just yell and you'll see them come out the woods.

» So, with no disrespect, I don't agree with that because we have a homeless problem and some people may not be able to afford anything but a camper. You know, the recreational vehicle part would be a camper. I'm more worried about tarps and that sort of thing. So, if I might. Are you looking it up? I don't understand. I don't have a problem. So, to the extent. Go ahead, Mr. Oh, I'm sorry. Are you good? Well, I was just going to read what our current 3-3.5 says. So, this is our current ZLDR. Camps and recreational vehicle parks where, conditionally permitted by Table 3-3, shall comply with the following site and design standards below. Such parks are considered temporary occupancy.

» Occupancy, therefore, no recreation vehicle or trailer will be allowed to remain in the park for more than three months per year. The site shall be at least two acres in size. This site shall be developed in a manner that preserves natural features and landscaped. The following dimensions. Requirements shall serve as parameters beyond development should not exceed. And then it gives the parameters. Maximum density shall not exceed 12 recreational vehicles per acre. Buffering, screening, open space, and landscaping shall be specified by provisions of this ordinance. Camping and RV park facilities shall be physically separated from public streets. All streets and driveways within RV parks shall be private, not public.

» Each park site shall be serviced by public water and sewer systems, approved by SCDHEC and Kershaw County Utilities. And two parking spaces shall be provided at each campsite, plus an additional common parking area to accommodate one parking space per campsite. So, Councilman Brazel, to your point, the ordinance is fairly robust. So I think if you had somebody building a homeless encampment, I think they would be so out of comply with the face of that, before you ever got to the time frame, that they would be able to be shut down, at least the way I read it. Agreed. I hadn't had the opportunity to read it, so thank you for that. And I would also like to note, if I could just throw one more shout-out to Mr. Renfro and his, I think it's his wife back there that I see.

» So, you know, they've been working on this for like a year, and I think he can probably attest more than most people that this is not a, I wouldn't call this a not onerous requirement that you guys have had to jump through to get open to business just to meet the ordinance as is. I've driven by there a lot, and they've been doing a lot of work out there. Madam Chair, if I can, and I like the idea of looking at both, but I just want to remind my colleagues, as Planning and Zoning sends us back something on the nine months versus no limits, we don't have to put up, come here, sign to Kershaw County. People are coming regardless. They love Kershaw County. They love the amenities that come with Kershaw County.

» If you go to Unlimited and you've got surrounding counties that's due in nine months, you're going to attract more people to Kershaw County than you want, and probably the wrong people that you may attract. So just keep that in mind going, no limits. I'm just putting that out. We can have that discussion later, but I'm just putting that out. Mr. Jones. I don't agree with that. It's not the first time we disagree. Mr. Renfro, would you mind coming up to the podium? Sorry to put you on the spot. What do you currently have to do at the end of the three months? Do you just ask people to leave and then come back, or they can't until the next year? Okay. Per calendar, usually. Okay. And do your customers or your clients that are living there, are they upset by that? Okay. I have a lot of names.

» I'm okay with nine months. I don't want to get into that discussion. However, there are a lot of surrounding counties that these people are going to, so that's important to me as well. Do you have to compete with these other campsites and RV sites to keep yours filled? We're so new. We don't have two weeks to go. Oh, okay. But Renfro's don't compete, so we make it happen. Sounds like that. And you and I have not talked. You had no idea I was going to do that amendment tonight. I just got common sense. It just makes common sense to not restrict you on that. And, you know, there are already enough restrictions on just opening up an RV park. I mean, my gosh, you're jumping through hoops just to get where you are now. Am I correct or not? Absolutely. With the bureaucracy, correct? Absolutely.

» All right. I rest my case right as always. Your Honor. That's because he works a complete full-time job in addition to running this camp route. So, again. I would say my only concern about an unlimited situation, it would be akin to maybe like a mobile home park or a trailer park or something like that. I would want to make sure that however the policy is written, that that's not the scenario or the case. I'm sure that's a separate policy. And I don't want to mesh the two so much that you can't tell the difference between the two of them. And if I may? Good point. Mr. Jones. Mr. Brasel. Mr. Brasel. You can't forget my last. You know who I am. It's just one of those moments. Let me tell you this, okay? There's a big difference in an RV park and a mobile home park.

» I have lived in both growing up as a child. Understood. There's a big difference. We're just talking about ponds. I know. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Any other questions for Mr. Renfro? Renfro? Thank you. And again, sorry to put you on the spot, but since we're having this discussion. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake, for putting us on the agenda. And I look forward to hearing what planning and zoning recommends to us. So to the Renfros, this is just the first step. We'll give it to plan and zoning. We'll see what they recommend to us. We don't have to go with their recommendation. We can change it or we can accept it as is. So we'll do that. We'll have three readings also to make that change in the ZLDR.

» So still a couple months in front of us, but we'll keep you updated. Thank you. Vote. All right. Now we're up to the... The vote. The vote. Oh, yes. Okay. All right. All those in favor of the motion to direct the county administrator to get a recommendation from planning and zoning on 3-3.5 in the ZLDR to expand the limitation or remove it and add record-keeping requirements for camp and RV parks, indicate by raising your hand. And the vote is unanimous. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Thank you. And thank you, sir. All right. Our amended agenda, executive session. Mr. Jones, would you like to make the motion? Yes. And if you'll remind us who you need in there because I forget. Did you put this in my packet? It's well-deserved, though. I didn't know you were ill.

» Well, okay, as I said earlier, I'd like to make a motion for personnel matter under executive session. This is concerning something that just came to my attention yesterday and also this morning. And I think the council and the administration need to know it is, I think, circumstances, and I want to make sure I inform council of everything that's going on. And I would like to have the administrator, the assistant administrator, county attorney, and each county council member to be involved. Thank you. That is my motion. Second. Okay. Second by Mr. Tucker. We are now in executive session. Oh, I'm sorry. Vote. All those in favor of going into executive session. And it will be information only and no action will be taken. Thank you. Just to clarify, you want Lauren or Gerald? Gerald. Okay.

» Thank you. And the vote is unanimous. We're now in executive session. All right. Is there a motion to come out of executive session? So moved. Second. Okay. Mr. Jones with the motion and Mr. Tucker with the second. All those in favor of coming out of executive session indicate by raising your hand. The vote is unanimous. We are out of executive session. We are up to council briefs. I do not know where we are. So let's just start with district one, Mr. Brazel. I don't have a whole lot to say. Talk about me. Yeah, I'll talk about Jimmy. Jimmy, thank you for everything that you do. I will say something that's an interesting fact that I learned just recently. 435 members at the House of Representatives in D.C. And occasionally they get to speak for one minute.

» Did you guys know that fun fact? Occasionally, if they're in high pecking order, they get to speak for a period of one minute. So I'm all about transparency and I'm all about hearing from people. So I think it's wonderful that everybody's allowed five minutes and that we don't put any limits on ourselves or others. And I think that this council and leadership is the reason for that. And I appreciate you guys very much. That's all. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. Mr. Tucker? Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you. Just want to say publicly welcome back. We truly miss you. Councilman Jones done an excellent job in keeping us in order. And if his behavior is like it is tonight, we're going to ask that you switch seats.

» Because when he's in your chair, he's busy and not eating the mic up and causing us to stay here longer. So we may have to swap spots temporarily. He said he didn't sit in my chair. He did. I did not. He didn't? No, no, no. Yeah, he sat right there. Oh, I thought he sat in my back. He did use your gavel to. Several times. But welcome back. And I hope everyone had a safe 4th of July. And I look forward to talking with you guys in two weeks. I'm going to ease out because I have a place called J-O-B that I need to get to. And I thank you all for all that you do up here. Ms. Hannah, thank you as well and staff. Good night. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Shumick? Yeah, not much.

» You know, in reference to the dialogue piece, I want to say that, you know, one way we can get that back and forth is just being in our districts. And I think I know personally every single person up here is extremely available to their constituents anytime there's a question. To that end, though, on August 10th, and I'm going to start publicizing this on Facebook once I get a finalized location. On August 10th, I'm going to host a town hall in Elgin. It's obviously going to be geared for that area, but, of course, anybody is welcome to attend. I'm between three locations or among three locations. Between is only two things. I'm among three locations, Blaney Baptist Church, Elgin Town Hall, or the library. Elgin Town Hall has already given me space.

» I'm trying to see if I can get a bigger one. Hopefully get a lot of people there. I've already invited Madam Chair, but, obviously, my fellow council members, you're all welcome. We're going to be – my personal topic I want to talk about is growth. I want to talk with those residents about their opinions on growth, what they think about some of the options we've discussed up here, and then, of course, open it to anybody. So to anybody who thinks there should be more back and forth, at least for me personally, August 10th, some dislocation in Elgin I'll have by the end of the week, you're more than welcome to come and chat with me. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Jones? On the letter that you read from the citizen, you know, this is what I like, and I may be wrong.

» Maybe I heard it wrong, but they don't put the facts in there. On that limitation, on the presentations, I voted against it, but you don't hear that. They love to lump everybody into one package. And one more thing, too. There's not a member of this council that said he just left. I wish he was here. Nobody on this council voted for that. They inherited that. So I think the letter was unfair to members of this county council, and that definitely was unfair to me. But I'm used to that. I've been fighting bureaucracy. I've been fighting politicians for 17 years. I was fighting when some people were in diapers that are complaining now. And I'm going to be fighting for another three years, and I'm going to run again. So come on after me if you want me. I'm there.

» Folks, I mean, I'm not taking enough of them to stay in the facts. They had nothing to do with that 15-minute time limit, and I voted against it. But you don't hear that when people write their letters, talking about freedoms. Well, I fight for transparency. I've been fighting for it. This council, not this council, past county council tried to have me arrested, indicted, because I was exposing. The local paper knows that. I'll leave it to that on that. But anyway, the only way we'll win any battles in government is you fight it in open session in front of the people. You try to fight behind closed doors, you're going to lose. I will continue to fight. I will continue to answer my phone for the citizens of Kershaw County. And guys, if somebody can do a better job than me, vote me out.

» I don't care. I'll go ahead and start. I'll go get me a camper and move into the mobile home park over there, whatever it is. You know, it'll be like I'm on a mini vacation for the rest of my life. But I don't plan to go anywhere. And I plan to hold everybody accountable as I plan to hold myself accountable. And have I been perfect? No. But am I pretty close? Yes. And I invite anybody on this council to talk about me in a positive manner in any way they see fit. Madam Chair, and oh, I do have one other thing that I want to say. We have a, to me, he's a VIP. He's a friend of mine and a Ron Cooper. I appreciate you coming out tonight. He's a drummer. He drums with the BBGs. If y'all haven't heard of him, you're going to hear of him soon because he'll be famous one day.

» But he's a good musician. His daughter's a great singer. And I'm glad you came out to get involved to see how your county council works. Welcome. That's it, Madam Chair. And Madam Chair, let me say this. I do not want your seat. They tried to brag on me about how good. I said, shut up because you're just trying to start a fight. But I respect you. Nobody can take her place. She's a bulldog. And she's told me to be quiet before. And I was quiet. Having said that, and thank you, I'm so glad you're back. And by the way, my heart and my prayers have been with you and your sister and your immediate family throughout this whole thing, along with the members of this county council. We do care about you. Thank you. You're welcome. All right, that concludes. Mr. Tomlinson.

» Man, I wish I could follow with as much passion as Councilman Jones had. Thank you for your passion. Thank you for your 17 years of service. Councilman Jones does have a lot of passion, and that's why he does get the calls, and he's loved across the community. I don't have nothing, except I would really like to thank staff for all your hard work, as always. I know you'll have to stay here late at night and listen to a bunch of, I guess, politicians sit up here and talk. One announcement, this weekend, this Saturday, we will be having an event on the river. So kayaking the Watery River, starting at Veterans Park, ending at the Environmental Training Center, and then hiking from the Environmental Training Center to the Revolutionary War Center. And we'd love anybody who wants to come out.

» It's a free event. There will be food and fellowship afterwards at the Revolutionary War Center. Everybody can make it. If you can't, we'll get you on a gator and get you from point A to point B. As many people to come out, we'd love to have the attendance. That is all I have. Madam Chair. Thank you. Mr. Cato. I have no report tonight about that. Thank you. I am, first I want to address Mr. Maddox. I'm sorry that you couldn't be here tonight. I did tell him that I would read his email. I did not read the last part due to time. This has come up not just from him, but several people. County council meetings are a business meeting to conduct business on behalf of the people. So it's not a town hall. It's not a forum where we do discussion. It's truly a business meeting.

» So in keeping proper decorum, there have to be rules. It's been challenged legally, and we can, and me specifically, can set those rules, ask people to limit what they're saying, use appropriate language. So I'm confident in that, and I stand by that. I've always been an advocate to protect public comments. But again, public comments are just a small part of the meeting. So I always am thankful to Mr. Maddox for the points he brings and everything he advocates for. But we have to have a time limit rules set forth so that this meeting can keep proper decorum. So I am getting through your emails and your text messages. Please be patient. I am calling every single constituent that contacted me while I was out back. So please just, I did not forget about you.

» I'm still here, and I will get back to you. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake, for scheduling a town hall. I really like town halls. I need to schedule one myself because that's when you can have that dialogue and discussion back and forth. And that's all I have, Mr. Templer. No report. Legal? No report, Madam Chair. Okay. All right, we're up to the end of the meeting. Is there a motion to adjourn? I'll have to say a minute. Okay, Mr. Shoemake with the motion. Second. Second, Mr. Tomlinson. In all those in favor of adjournment tonight, indicate by raising your hand. Unanimous with Mr.